In the medical and dental fields, there are frequent occasions when duplication of x-ray radiographic films is necessary, such as when sending a copy to an insurer or another medical professional. Outside of the healing arts, x-ray images have other applications, such as when metal pipe welds are x-rayed to determine the ability of the pipe weld to seal, or when riveted steel is x-rayed to determine the quality of the fastenings, or again, in the construction of reaction chambers in nuclear power plants.
Currently, duplication of radiograms requires wet chemistry processing and special equipment, which is time consuming and expensive. According to current duplicating methods, the original x-ray film is first placed on top of the duplicating film, both are then placed under a light source and exposed (to light) for a set amount of time. The duplicating film is then developed like the original film in a dark room or automatic x-ray developer. In the case of medical and dental radiograms, for example, this is expensive for patients, time consuming and requires training for staff members. In addition, the duplicates must be produced one at a time, which is impractical and slow when large numbers of duplicates are needed. Lastly, the duplicated radiograms are not digital and must be delivered via non-electronic methods, which is also time consuming and costly. Moreover, if the quality of the duplicate is unsatisfactory, the entire process must be repeated individually until a copy of sufficient quality results. The same issues apply to the duplication of x-ray films for structural and industrial purposes.
Because of these drawbacks, it is a common practice to make simple photocopies of the radiograms, which are relatively inexpensive and can be conveniently digitized or produced in paper form. The photocopies, however, suffer greatly in resolution and overall quality, such that the photocopies are frequently not suitable for the intended purpose. This often causes delays in processing insurance payments, and requires consulting professionals to retake medical x-rays and patients to undergo exposure a second time. In the case of industrial x-rays, the time to re-shoot and process the x-rays, and the cost of obtaining the x-rays a second time, can be considerable.
Over the years, various attempts have been made to provide systems for copying photographic and similar films such as radiograms. In United States published patent application 2004/0247123 A1, a method for transmitting digitized images includes a camera mounted above a light source on which a radiograph is placed. The camera is operated to obtain a digital image of the radiograph, which is sent to a digital computer for transmission to a remote site. No provision is made for aligning the camera to the radiograph, and a wide range of adjustment of camera settings is required for radiographs of widely differing sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,856,707 provides an image processing method in which a strip of film is placed between a light diffuser and a lens which guides an image of a portion of the film toward an analog-to-digital converter, which is then processed in a detailed manner to enhance the information acquired. No provision is made for readily adapting the system to a wide range of film image sizes and no provision is made for altering the position of the image acquiring components to adjust for different image types.
PCT International publication number WO 2006/015216 A2 discloses a method for conversion and reproduction of film images through a digital process. A film is scanned and directed to a digital intermediate process in which a negative is created for duplication via a continuous contact printer. No provision is made for adapting the system to accommodate films of different sizes, or to adjust the system to accommodate films of different types.
Accordingly, improvements are still desired to overcome the above-mentioned inadequacies as well as other problems encountered in a typical business environment such as a dental office or other facilities of a healthcare provider. A need for an improved digital copying system remains.